Tag Archives: Community

Can You be Authentic in the Church?

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*Note: This is an adapted version of my original post at RethinkBishop.

“Shadow Self” vs. “Persona”

Do you ever get the sense that who you are on the inside looks nothing like who you present to everyone else?  If not, good!  If you’re unsure, I have a challenge: take a look at your last five posts on Facebook, and then compare it to how you spent the last five hours.  I believe some people’s inner self and their public self match up.  As for me, if my Facebook is a full reflection of myself, then the entirety of who I am is:  A proud divinity student looking to change the world, passionately concerned for the lives of the suffering, a dedicated defender of human rights everywhere, and a damn good fiancée. Continue reading →

I Love, Therefore I Am. Or: It’s All An Act

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Do you ever take a step back from the reality of day-to-day obligations and just let your mind run amok?  Frankly, I wouldn’t recommend it.  I was in just such a zone of self-indulgent mental prancing the other day, and I thought myself into the worst dilemma.  I began to wonder if everything in my life – what I do, who I am to the rest of society – if it is all an act.  If the people who I surround myself with would run in fear and disgust if they actually knew “the real me.”  If I am something wholly other than what I convince everyone else (and myself) that I am.

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Episode 3 of “The Church Hunter”: Mmm…Fresh Presbyterian

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Well, that month flew by like a Rolling Tide of War Eagles.  Or would it be like a Crimson Tiger?  Oh, the mascot blasphemy!  Yes, like all incredibly formational and eye-opening experiences, my month with the United Methodists of Birmingham, AL must come to an end.  Time flies when you’re beating 6th graders at Mario Kart.

But this town hasn’t seen the last of me.  I’ve gotten a new scent.  I’m on the trail.  The season is open.  And I’m in the mood for…Presbyterian. Continue reading →

We Are

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In case it seems like my ADD has gotten me off track, I just want to – Oh, man look at that butterfly!  Just kidding.  I want to clarify that I am using this summer to raise the questions I hope to find some answers to over the next year of travel.  It will not always seem to relate directly to the “year of exploration,” but I hope to tie it all back in over the next 12 months.

Today’s question:  What does it take to be a family?  It’s a valid question, and one that becomes harder to answer the more you think about it.  It can be personal; it can be political; it can be spiritual.  No matter how you think about it, family is a complex thing to tackle. Continue reading →